In the Dark of the Night
by Pink Wolf Princess
Summary: The search for a way to return the core characters of TGWTG to normal continues.


Okay, here we go! Time for another chibi CA adventure! Go read the first one if you haven't already otherwise you'll be rather confused. And yes, I took the title from a song that I don't own.

Please note that I can only feature people whose ages I know… :P

Disclaimer: All I own is the plot bunny.

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><p>Feeding roughly twenty kids and teenagers was a challenge, but Jew Wario and Iron Liz managed it eventually. Thankfully Paw Dugan and Spoony were old enough and aware enough to help. Nostalgia Critic had been fixed up from his injuries and was now sulking on the couch, watching a Pokémon movie and complaining.<p>

Once everyone had gotten their PB&J sandwiches and cups of juice or cans of soda, Jew Wario and Iron Liz snuck upstairs to Linkara's "lair" leaving Pollo in charge. There was his Green Ranger suit, his various weapons, comic books, his spare trilby hat, some video games, and a couple of framed photos. Iron Liz stared wistfully at a photo of her and Linkara taken the previous winter that was on his desk, leading Jew Wario look concerned.

"Don't worry; we'll get them back to normal soon. Rob and Miles are also working on it too in Chicago and Arizona respectively."

"I hope so," sighed Iron Liz. "Okay, let's get started."

However an afternoon's searching got them nowhere, but neither was disheartened. Linkara might be the most prepared member of the site, but his organization skills needed work. Shyly an almost fourteen year old Paw Dugan poked his head in close to six.

"Hey, um, everyone is getting kind of hungry," he informed the two adults. "And Linkara and Nostalgia Critic still aren't speaking to one another."

"Well, they're both pretty stubborn so let them be," sighed Jew Wario as he headed for the door. Iron Liz stayed put, stating, "I'll keep looking. Besides, I'm not hungry yet."

As they headed downstairs Paw asked hesitantly, "I might be remembering wrong but isn't adult Linkara dating Iron Liz?"

"Yeah," Jew Wario admitted. "But don't tell anyone- trying to figure out their own present futures would give them all headaches."

"Okay," agreed Paw, adjusting his headphones. "That makes sense."

Jew Wario patted the teenaged Paw on the back. "Let's order pizza for dinner, okay?"

"Okay- then can we watch a movie?"

"I guess," Jew Wario decided after a moment's thought. Surely they wouldn't be critics already, so there wouldn't be much commentary. Right?

Wrong. As they chowed down on their slices of pizza, everyone kept chiming in about _Tangled_, whether the comments be positive or negative. Angry Joe wanted explosions, MarzGurl liked it, Spoony wanted there to be more science disturbingly enough, Linkara enjoyed it but this CGI animation was weird compared to traditional animation, and Nostalgia Critic kept pointing out possible plot holes for starters. And then when Flynn/Eugene died three-year-old Luke Mochrie started bawling until Obscurus Lupa gave him a hug, inciting the wrath of both Todd in the Shadows and Film Brain.

After _Tangled_ everyone was still wound up so Jew Wario searched for another movie that could occupy everyone. In the end he chose a DVD set of _Doctor Who_ to mainly Spoony's dismay and everyone else's joy.

Starting around nine Jew Wario started getting everyone ready for bed once the _Doctor Who_ marathon had ended. By now he knew how long and difficult the process would be, and it was nearly eleven by the time everyone was going to sleep.

Exhausted Jew Wario first made sure Iron Liz had gotten herself to bed, then collapsed onto a pile of blankets he had gotten from the linen closet. As he fell asleep Jew Wario hoped that everything would get back to normal again. He didn't mind being 18 years younger, but he was sure if they could remember their adult lives everyone else would be.

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><p>Around five in the morning Linkara woke up. He, Spoony, and Nostalgia Critic were crammed onto a green couch upstairs that seemed familiar to him for some reason. Quietly he started looking through the comic books on the floor. Some he knew but mostly had dates in the late 90s and even into the new millennium.<p>

So either he was in the future or he really had been turned into a kid. Linkara closed his eyes, trying to remember. He saw flashes of something: insisting to do something because of having watched _Patton_ 100 times, shouting "I am a man" and punching stuff, hanging out with someone who looked like an adult Spoony, and dressing up as King Arthur from _Camelot_.

Opening his eyes, Linkara sighed and rested his head in his hands.

"You okay, Linkara?" yawned Spoony, waking up. "Can't sleep either?"

"Not anymore," shrugged Linkara worriedly. "Spoony?"

"Yeah?"

"What do you remember from us as adults? I don't remember much."

"Some stuff- trying to conquer a micro-nation, fighting a hypocrite named Malachite, getting into an epic brawl, Dr. Insano being a mad scientist, reviewing something called Final Fantasy, and hating twilight for some reason. I mean, it's just the time between dusk and night…"

"I think it became a book," Linkara suggested hesitantly. Then he looked over a sleeping Nostalgia Critic. "Do you think that he's still mad at me?"

"Maybe," Spoony shrugged, walking over to the younger boy. "You did beat him up."

"He insulted _Power Rangers_ and Iron Liz in the same breath," Linkara insisted darkly, making Spoony roll his eyes.

"Okay, whatever. I wonder who else lives here besides Iron Liz… this seems like a big place for one person."

"Do you think she has a boyfriend?" panicked Linkara. Spoony went, "Um, there's kind of a major age gap between you two right now."

"But six plus eighteen is 24! That's close to Iron Liz's age, right?" Linkara asked hopefully. Spoony tousled his hair. "Um? How about we look around and see what else is here?"

"Okay," conceded Linkara, getting to his feet. "Let's go."

Curiously the pair went into a room marked 'study'. Upon entering, Linkara let out a squeak. The study included a full Green Power Ranger suit as well as bookshelf of books and comic books, and an almost-futuristic computer on a desk. Recent signs of research were evident, but Linkara didn't notice them due to his longing staring at the Power Ranger suit.

"I… want… one…" he managed to get out. Bemused Spoony went over to the desk. He saw a framed photo on the desk of a couple in the snow: one was Iron Liz. The guy... Spoony remembered, it was adult Linkara. So that's why Iron Liz acted a bit off around Linkara; it wasn't that it was a six-year-old crushing on her, it was that it was a six-year-old version of her boyfriend crushing on her. Having recovered from his adoration of the Green Ranger suit Linkara wandered over to see what his best friend was looking at.

"Who's that?" demanded Linkara, his eyes narrowing as he studied the photo. "Is that her boyfriend?"

"Um… I think it's you. I think this is your study…"

"MINE!" shouted Linkara in elation, dashing back to the Green Ranger suit. Then it hit him. "Iron Liz is my girlfriend?"

"Probably…" Spoony shrugged, suppressing a flash of strange jealousy that Linkara still had a girlfriend. Linkara hugged himself.

"YAY!"

"Shush, everyone else is still asleep…" Spoony pointed out wryly. Linkara scrunched up his face, thinking.

"I think we met at work… it's fuzzy."

"All things considered I think it's for the best that you and I don't remember much of our adult lives," Spoony pointed out. "Our adult selves have probably gotten up to some… adult stuff that we don't need or want to know about."

"Like kissing? I wouldn't mind remembering kissing Iron Liz."

"Uh… look, just calm down Linkara. We need to focus on getting back to normal so that you can kiss Iron Liz without it being weird. And so that you don't bite Nostalgia Critic again."

Linkara blushed. "He insulted my favorite show and my girlfriend… sort of girlfriend, anyway."

"What are you guys doing up?" asked MarzGurl from the doorway. Spoony retorted, "What are you doing up?"

"I had a weird dream with Rapunzel taking a trip in the TARDIS to fix all _The Land Before Time_ movies. It was weird," MarzGurl commented, stretching. "You two?"

"Meh, just couldn't sleep. And now we know that Linkara shares this house with Iron Liz."

"I have a girlfriend, tons of comic books, and a Green Ranger suit in the future. I love my life!" beamed Linkara. Spoony thought over what he could remember of his adult life.

"Tons of video games, get to live with my brother Miles, and have lots of fun doing so. Yeah, life is good."

"Same here," agreed MarzGurl. "Anime, movies, my own place… I miss being an adult. Stupid Dr. Insano. Hey, that gives me an idea!"

"What?" asked Linkara.

"We're trying to reverse what Dr. Insano did, right?"

"Right," nodded Spoony. MarzGurl grinned, "So, my adult self has a… someone named Juno the Sorceress. If a mad scientist turned us all into kids, maybe an evil sorceress can turn us back into adults!"

"I think I ought to be arguing with that logic," decided Linkara after a moment of staring at the girl. But Spoony commented, "I think it's a good idea. I mean, what do we have to lose?"

The seven-year-old girl fist-pumped. "Okay, let's go wake up Jew Wario then!"

"It's sort of early," pointed out Spoony. "Let's go back to bed and tell him in the morning. I'm getting sleepy again."

"Not me," Linkara refuted, bouncing up and down. Spoony sighed, "No, time for bed. It's too early for this sort of heavy thinking."

"Whatever," MarzGurl shrugged, yawning. "See you guys later."

"See you," responded both boys as she left. Linkara blinked sleepily. "Well, a little nap wouldn't hurt."

"Good," Spoony smiled wearily. Maybe things could get back to normal soon; being a teenager again without retaining most of his memories of adulthood stank. And Linkara and MarzGurl remembered even less.

Hugging the younger boy around the shoulders he sighed, "Come on. Everything will seem better in the morning."

"Okay," agreed Linkara brightly.


End file.
